Baked Crab Cakes

Hey everyone.  As promised, here is the recipe for my new favorite way to make crab cakes….I cook them using high heat in my oven for just eight minutes..  Don’t ever be afraid to make homemade crab cakes again.  I love these!

I have made them twice now and both times they turned out perfectly!  And, they’re delicious.  I must confess, I thought I had the perfect crab cake recipe which I still love, but these are soooo much easier and just as scrumptious.

What makes them better…they’re baked not fried!  These jumbo crab cakes are so delicate and light you’ll think twice about ordering them in a restaurant again.  Unless of course they are baked in a very HOT oven like mine.

These were perfect for New Years Eve and since they were soooo easy, plus delicious, I decided to make them for friends again this past weekend.  YUM!

I would definitely recommend them for a light and healthy dinner with a salad or as an appetizer.  OMG…….I can’t wait for you to try them.

So you can mix them up, let the mixture chill out for about 20 minutes, form them, and when you are ready, bake them before your guests arrive.  I actually served them with a green salad lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil.  YUM!

Please use real jumbo lump crab meat.  You can find at Trader Joes, Costo, Walmart and most other grocery stores.  I used Chicken of the Sea from Walmart.  I added red onion, red pepper, fresh herbs and some spice – Lots of crab & lots of veggies.  Can’t get any better right!  Plus, if you are sensitive to wheat, use gluten free panko breadcrumbs,

The original recipe called for Old Bay Seasonings which you’re welcome to use but I happen to have these amazing spices from Buffalo Creek Seasonings, so I substituted Spice of Life and a few red pepper flakes.  Since the Spice of Life doesn’t have any salt added, I added a bit of celery salt.

I promise you’ll love these and have I mentioned, how easy there are to prepare.  Yep!  The biggest mess is forming them and pressing them into a small biscuit mold or ring mold.  It’s super easy to do, but can be a bit messy on your hands.  But than again, a good chef always ends up with a messy hands, kitchen, etc during the process of preparing good food.  At least this chef does.

Now the magic happens.  Get your oven really HOT and bake for only five minutes.  MAGIC.  Perfect Crab Cakes every-time!  I bet you’ll be hooked.  I am and can’t wait to make these a third time!

BAKED CRAB CAKES (adapted from Proud Italian Cook) 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. of cooked jumbo lump crab
• 1/2 cup each, red pepper, celery, red onion
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley and basil
• 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs – gluten free
• zest of lemon
• 6 tablespoons of real mayo – I used avocado mayo
• Spice of Life Seasoning and Red Pepper Flakes or Old Bay

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat over to 500°.
2. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix the mayo, zest, and seasonings.
4. Fold in the veggies and panko.  Gently add the crab and fold gently.
5. Place the bowl into the freezer for only 10 minutes or fridge for 20.  This helps hold everything together.
6. Take a ring mold about 3 inches around and fill it almost to the top.  Pack it down and gently push it out onto greased baking sheet.
7. Place them into the HOT oven for only 8 minutes.  Take them out of oven and let cool for about a minute before serving.

NOTE:  These are exceptionally good with a dollop of lemon aioli.